How to Make Money on Instagram

Almost all of us have an Instagram account these days. Easier to curate than Facebook, it’s also a better way to follow people who you really have an affinity with, rather than just celebrities or big brands. If you’ve ever been inspired to try a product or even an idea after you’ve seen it on a post, you’ve been influenced by a so-called influencer, or perhaps even an affiliate on the good old Gram. These people are all making money from what they’re posting, and you can too. We’ve put together some tips for how to generate revenue from your ‘Gramming.

Create & Build Your Brand

While it’s true that anyone can promote anything they like, within reason, on Instagram you’ll hit home much more effectively if you have a clear message. The way you portray yourself should echo that, so that if you’re a foodie or an online casino game expert, the advice and endorsements you give ring true and are trusted by those who are following you. Always stay true to who you are, and only endorse things that fit with your image. You do need to state when you are advertising something for your own gain, according to Instagram’s guidelines, but if your brand has integrity then this doesn’t seem to affect account followers too much.

Diversify Your Income Streams

Just as in playing the stock market, or many other things in life, it’s best not to put all your eggs in one basket when you’re trying to make money on Instagram. You should aim to be an influencer, whose opinion on certain lifestyle choices and products your followers take seriously, and an affiliate, who advances specific products with promotional codes that then pay you a certain amount of commission. Once you’ve created your account, you can list yourself on influencer marketplaces to get yourself going. Some of the most trusted sites are:

Grapevine: List yourself here when you hit 5,000 followers. You’ll get to connect with similar brands for, mutual benefit

Fohr Card: Connect all the social platforms that you use on one Influencer Card. You’ll be able to track how they are each performing, which will allow you to streamline your strategies

IndaHash: Visit this site and participate in any of the featured campaigns, if you feel they are appropriate. As long as you have 700 or more followers you can do this and get paid for posting pictures accompanied by specific hashtags to your account

You can also sell your own merchandise at the same time if you wish to, perhaps if you’re an artist or even a foodie who has created their own range of spices. The key is really to think laterally, and to consider how each move you make will affect your overall image. Remember, you need to remain authentic if you want to keep connecting with your followers. Without this base, you have no leverage with companies looking for people to promote what they’re selling.

Capitalise on Social Media Platforms

Shelcy Joseph has built her brand, based on empowering women while embodying style and panache, exclusively on social media. She launched a YouTube channel at the same time as her Instagram account, and has already seen the crossover influence that the two have on each other. You can do the same; each platform has the ability to show yourself in a slightly different light and to reach a different demographic. Then track them all on Fohr Card!

The other important lesson from Shelcy is to have fun and keep learning. She parlayed her loves of fashion, writing, food and connecting with others into a profitable Instagram account, and from there she learned other marketing and digital imagery skills. Today she uses all of this full-time as a freelance consultant, and is truly living her best life. There’s no limits to where dabbling in Instagram can take you, and the potential to make money via this social media platform is almost limitless!